Competitive Swimming Strokes

This article will explain the basics of the different competitive strokes in swimming.

Freestyle

In a freestyle event, any stroke is considered legal. In order to ensure the fastest time, the event is typically swam with alternating arm strokes and a flutter kick. The arm strokes will come out of the water and reach as far forward as possible. The swimmer will then pull the water behind him or her. The flutter kick is accomplished by alternating the bottom of the legs in an up and down motion. A swimmer will generally keep his or her face in the water, and only breathe to the side every three or five strokes. During turns, some part of the swimmer's body must touch the wall. Most swimmers will do a flip turn.

Butterfly

The butterfly stroke is accomplished with a recovery of the arms over the water. The arms must move simultaneously and break the water's surface on every stroke. The swimmer then pushes the water down to complete a stroke. The butterfly kick is commonly referred to as the dolphin kick. The legs must stay together, and movement is thrust from the hips. During a butterfly event, the swimmer may not do a flutter kick or breaststroke kick. On turns and finishes, the swimmer must touch both hands simultaneously on the wall.

Backstroke

The backstroke is similar to freestyle, because it requires the swimmer to alternate arm strokes and use a flutter kick. In the backstroke, the swimmer must remain on his or her back. On turns, swimmers can turn to their stomachs to perform a flip turn.

Breaststroke

To perform breaststroke, a swimmer must make simultaneous movements of his or her arms on a horizontal plane. The hands are pushed out in front of the swimmer and moved as if drawing a heart in the water. The kick used during breaststroke is sometimes called a frog kick. Both legs are brought up towards the body and then thrust out in a circular motion. On turns and finishes, both hands must touch the wall simultaneously.

Individual Medley (IM)

The individual medley, commonly refereed to as the IM, is a combination of all four competitive strokes. The race is divided into fourths. The swimmer begins with the butterfly stroke for the first fourth of the race. During the second fourth of the race, the swimmer will swim the backstroke. During the third part of the race, the swimmer will swim breaststroke. During the final fourth of the race, the competitor will finish by swimming freestyle.